Shades Of Grey
by Hyperactive Lioness
Summary: 100 Prompt challenge from Blue Eclipse. First prompt: Beginning.
1. Beginning

**Hey, all! This is the beginning of Blue Eclipse's "100 Prompts" challenge, and fittingly, the first prompt is "Beginning". These are just going to be 100 short oneshots pertaining to the prompts.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender!**

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**Beginning**

The shovel hit the hard earth yet _again_, barely penetrating. A small sliver of dirt was gouged out, and thrown over the shoulder of the man wielding the shovel. Sweat poured off of his brow, his muscles straining under the thin cotton of his shirt. The woman beside him was working equally hard, the tool in her grip rubbing the skin of her pale hands into blisters.

"This isn't working, Oma." The man threw his shovel down with frustration, mopping at his forehead with his green shirt. "We'll have to find a better meetingplace then under the mountain. We aren't going to be able to dig a tunnel that's big enough, let alone safe enough."

"Shu!" The woman sounded disgusted, but she, too, threw down her shovel. "Is that _defeat_ I hear?" The man, Shu, collapsed into the grass by the side of the mountain.

"This isn't fair. I love you, Oma, and I don't care about the feud. Let's just run away, live somewhere else where they accept love, and it's not always fighting! I'm sick of all of the fighting!"

"I love you, too. More then I can say. But you know that I can't leave my family, Shu! They need me. And you have family, too. We can't just think of ourselves." Shu stared up into the sky, at an eagle-hawk wheeling above their heads, flying free. He glanced at the beautiful, resilient woman that he loved, and, once again, picked up the shovel, thrusting it into the earth with renewed vigor.

"Then we'll... Just have to... Keep on meeting... In secret," he grunted, digging as fast and as powerfully as he could. "I'm not giving... You up, Oma." She also raised her shovel, and began working beside her love.

They dug in silence for a while, glancing at each other every so often, as if for reassurance that the other was there. Then, Oma fell backwards with a surprised _oof_.

"Oma?" Shu ran to her side, abandoning his shovel. "What just happened?" She raised her head, a confused glint in her green eyes.

"I have no idea," she moaned, rubbing her head. "I hit something hard while I was digging, and then I was just thrown backwards. I don't know how it happened!" Shu left her side, returning to the small hole they had gouged in the mountainside. He picked up Oma's shovel, hitting in the same place that she had, and was thrown to the ground to join his love.

"What..." he coughed, sitting back up. "What just happened?"

In reply, the mountain itself seemed to shake as a gigantic creature- _two _gigantic creatures- dug themselves out of the mountainside. They were huge, striped black, white, and brown, with unseeing eyes and probing noses. "What _are _those things?" Oma breathed.

"They're badgermoles," Shu replied, his brain supplying the information he didn't know he wielded. One of the creatures, the female, padded up to Oma and shoved its wet nose in her face. She giggled.

"Stop it, that tickles!" The badgermole complied, now that it had her attention, and moved its paw. A clump of earth flew backwards. Oma's green eyes widened, and she glanced at Shu. "Did you just see that? That mole moved the earth!"

The male badgermole turned to Shu, and again, moved a block of earth with just a move of its paw. In turn, Shu's brown eyes widened. "I think they're trying to tell us something..."

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**There you have it! The next prompt is "love", so stay tuned!**

**Review, please!**

**:Hyperactive Lioness:**


	2. Love

**Here's the second oneshot, the prompt being "Love". I could have done so much with this one... But I went slightly obscure. Hope you like it :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar!**

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**Love**

There are many different kinds of love, and four main definitions taught in schools in the Four Nations. _Storge_ is the definition of familial love, seen in the Southern Water Tribe as a tan-skinned man rocks his newly born son to sleep, his clear blue eyes locked on his son's slowly closing ones.

_Eros _is the desire to bring out all that is beautiful, good, and true in love, as in the Fire Nation, a dark-haired woman slowly coaxes her scarred husband out of his shell, kissing him softly while he tries to pull away; never giving up on him.

Fans swirl through the air as the highly trained and deadly Keyoshi Warriors practice their forms on the island named for the Earth Avatar, also practicing the form of _Philia _love, a love that embodies true, meaningful friendship. Without a blink of an eye, any one of these warriors would gladly die for each other.

As the Avatar soars through the skies on his glider, light as ever, even after marriage and two children, he glances down at the seemingly barren landscape of snow and ice; and then he sees her. Dressed in blue as usual, his beautiful wife raises one gloved hand in farewell. She doesn't know when or if he'll come back. Because the Avatar is the definition of _Agape _love, selfless, sacrificial love that puts other's needs in front of one's own wants.

But there is another love; a love shared by two very different individuals, one a beast, one a ruler of men. Bosco the bear and Kuei the Earth King know this kind of love, a special friendship that nothing, not defeat, not traitors, not even a dethroning could destroy.

It's the love between a man and his bear, or rather, a bear and his man, that also deserves to be a definition of the strange and complex word _love._

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**That was really different for me, and I hope you guys liked it!**

**:Hyperactive Lioness:**


	3. Hate

**Here's the next prompt, "Hate".**

**DISCLAIMER: See other chapters!**

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**Hate**

A tiny hand pushed aside the branches and leaves obscuring his vision, eyes widening as the dancing flames grew and streached to the sky, taunting him. His home was somewhere in that fire- his house, his belongings, his _parents_. A hot tear ran down his tanned cheek, and he furiously swiped at it in vain; the images flashing through his tortured mind made the tears come thick and fast.

The cruel man with hard, narrowed eyes, the soldier on the monstrous komodo-rhino, the black-haired woman with malicious glee apparent on her face. Their expressions, and those of the rest of the Fire Nation soldiers, were branded in his memory forever.

As were the images of his parents, tied in a corner, eyes pleading for him to leave, to save himself.

_"Leave it, son," his father choked out as the flames of the fire began to seep into the room. He looked down at the bonds wrapped around his parents' hands, bonds he had been working to free, then glanced up at their faces. "You need to go, son, before they find you, too!"_

_"Please," his mother begged, rasping. "Use the back door. I love you, never forget that."_

_"I won't," he managed to gasp before the actual fire began engulfing the room; and then he ran._

"I'll never forget," Jet hissed, turning away from his home, his family, his everything that was now burning.

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**There you have it! The next prompt is "Dark". Review!**

**:Hyperactive Lioness:**


	4. Dark

**Okay, here's the next prompt, "Dark". I went a bit off on this one, using the dragons Ran and Shaw from the episode "The Firebending Masters". The Avatar wiki site spells one of the dragons names "Shao", but I saw on an Avatar Extra that it's spelled "Shaw". And I kind of made up their genders and relationships, 'cause it's never said in the show, but whatever. Onward!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my ideas!**

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**Dark**

Ran shifted in her cave, claustrophobic already. It had been little more then a day since the honorable Iroh had agreed to help conceal her and Shaw- preserving them as the last dragons alive, and already she missed the sky.

Of course, she could still go outside, maybe even fly a little bit, but what was the point of flying if you couldn't zip to the Earth Kingdom and back, or even make a quick journey to the deserted Western Air temple? Ran wanted to be free, not hunted, not safe but caged, _free_.

And her cave was so _dark_!

At least she could remedy _that _part of her life. She _was _a fire-breathing dragon, after all.

Ren opened her mouth, sending bright, life-giving, multicolored fire into every dark area of her cave. _Ah, _she thought as she settled back down, folding her wings comfortably as the fire raged around her, _that's better._

_What's better? _Another, lower voice suddenly intruded into her consciousness. She snorted; a dragon was never alone.

_None of your business, Shaw. My cave was a little dark, that's all. Now, leave me alone so I can sleep in peace, thank you very much._

_A dark cave? _His voice sounded amused. _That sure is fascinating. Now pardon me, I have some things to attend to._

_Like what? _She couldn't help but ask. It was already dreadfully boring, that cave, and she was slightly jealous that Shaw had excluded her from his plans- she _was _the only other living member of his species, after all.

_Like fighting out the dark_. And suddenly, with a beat of his wings, he was there, breathing out his own multicolored fire to join hers. Her eyes betrayed the fact that she was smiling as he settled down next to her, his fire warming her heart and keeping back the dark.

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**Hope you liked it! The next prompt is "Light", and spoiler, it's about Aang ;)**

**:Hyperactive Lioness:**


	5. Light

**Welcome to the next prompt, which is "Light"! I won't waste any more of your time with idle chatter... Here we go!**

**DISCLAIMER: Anything pertaining to Avatar; I don't own.**

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**Light**

_It was so _bright_._

That was Aang's first and only thought for a short moment. The light was so sudden and blinding that it took the young airbender a minute to regather his bearings and really notice his surroundings.

_And is that an _angel_?_

Her tanned face was surrounded by brown hair and a white fur hood, intelligent blue eyes probed his face, and he felt her gloved hands, warm on his shoulders. His own eyes, grey in color, widened in shock.

_Where am I? _was his third thought, and then they came tumbling into his brain in torrents. _Who is this girl? Where's Appa? Why am I not near the Air Temple? _He opened his mouth.

"I... have one question..." he mumbled. "Come closer, no, closer..." The girl looked concerned, and he pressed on. A question, one question. Which to choose? He opened his mouth again. "Will you... Will you come penguin sledding with me?"

The girl agreed, laughing. Aang smiled, too. She didn't need to answer his questions, she didn't need to be burdened with the fact that _he _was the Avatar. Maybe he could spend a few blissful, light-filled hours with her as just Aang the airbender, as he once was. Not the Avatar, savior of the world. Just Aang.

And his smile widened; that's all he really wanted to be, anyway.

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**There you have it. The next prompt is "Memory", featuring our good friend Ursa.**

**Until next time, review!**

**:Hyperactive Lioness:**


	6. Memory

**This one's a bit longer, thank God, right? Haha. Anyway, moving on!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own ANYTHING!**

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**Memory**

That day will be burned into my memory forever. No matter how many years pass, no matter how many miles I travel from the Fire Nation, no matter how many nights I toss and turn, unable to fall asleep, unable to forget, the memory still remains.

My eyes have dulled, my hair has been streaked with grey, my clothes have torn from years of wear, but I still remember that night as if it had just happened. I was wrapping my hair on top of my head, water dripping down my arms, as I had just come from the baths, and that's when Ozai entered my private chambers without knocking.

Why that still annoys me, I have no idea. We had both agreed to have separate chambers as well as the one we shared, and that those rooms would be private. He encroached on my privacy that night; if he didn't, I wonder how different things would be.

"I have something to tell you," he said, his voice sounding strained and not at all pleasant. "It's about Zuko."

I distinctly remember how I had stood, my eyes narrowed, ready to protect my son at all costs. "What about him, Ozai?" I had questioned, my tone deadly calm. My husband exhaled heavily.

"I have to kill him."

At hearing those five words, my maternal instincts flew into overdrive. I stalked over to Ozai and grabbed the front of his ceremonial robes, pulling his face close to mine. "You'll do no such things," I had hissed. "He is our _son. _Why would you even think of doing something like that?"

Ozai had then brushed me away, a cold glint in his golden eyes that was all too familiar recently. He had changed since I had married him; changed for the worse. "That is the order from the Fire Lord."

"Zuko is Azulon's _grandson_," I remember saying, my voice slowly reaching hysteria. "What did he do wrong? He didn't-" I stopped, and my eyes narrowed. "Ozai, what did you do?"

My husband frowned. "I might have mentioned that now that Iroh has no heirs, _I _should inherit the throne." My mouth dropped open.

"And he ordered you to kill _your _heir?"

"Not my only one," he defended himself. "Azula can still rule." I had felt like hitting him.

"So you don't care." It hadn't been a question, but a statement. "If you're completely fine with murdering our only son, then why don't you just kill Azulon and make yourself Fire Lord instead?" My tone was biting and harsh, meant to hurt, but I later realized how much damage they had caused when Ozai turned to face me, a smirk stretching his features and a devious glint in his eye.

"Thank you, Ursa," he had said, not sounding at all thankful. "You just saved Zuko's life." I remembered slowly sinking to the floor as he stalked out, slamming the door after him.

As I gazed at my reflection in a slow-moving river somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, I thought of my son. Had I really saved his life the night of my banishment, or had Ozai simply decided that his life meant nothing after he was made Fire Lord? I didn't know- perhaps I wasn't meant to know.

And perhaps I would be reunited with him one day. Living or dead, one day I would see Zuko's face again.

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**There you have it! The next one's more light, and it features young Azula :)**

**Review!**

**:Hyperactive Lioness:**


	7. Innocence

**Oh, Azula and her twisted mind.**

**DISCLAIMER: This story has officially been disclaimed.**

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**Innocence**

_Dear diary,_

_I figured out today that my mother's obsessed with two things. One is me writing in this stupid diary every afternoon, which is completely pointless and even dangerous; it could fall into any type of enemy hands, and two is Zuko's "innocence", whatever that means. I think that it just means that he's a wuss that doesn't know anything._

_Like yesterday. I had found a baby turtleduck in the bushes; one of it's legs was broken, so I decided that it was better off dead, anyway._

"Zuko, c'mere!" Azula's seven-year-old voice sounded excited, and her brother wasted no time in running to her side from where he had been sitting by the pond with their mother. "Look, see that turtleduck?" She pointed out the injured creature, and Zuko's golden eyes widened.

"D'you think we can save it?" he asked. "We could probably find a box or something somewhere..."

"Save it?" Azula asked, her tone disgusted. "Why would we want to do that? Let me see your knife."

"Why?" Zuko said, defensive. "What do you want with it?" Azula sighed, flipping her black bangs with two fingers.

"You're such a drama queen, Zuzu. I just want to flip the thing over so I can see its leg better, okay?" Zuko nodded reluctantly, handing over the decorative weapon that had been strapped around his waist.

"And don't call me Zuzu," he added, crouching down as she slowly turned the squirming turtleduck over onto its back. "Okay, there's its leg. What should we-"

His voice slowly died out as he stared, horrified, at the blood pooling in the dirt. Azula casually wiped his knife in the grass and handed it to him, smirking at the lifeless turtleduck, its tiny throat slit. "What's wrong, Zuzu? You'd think you've never seen death before."

_And then, of course, mom swooped down on us, giving me stern looks as she comforted Zuzu about the circle of life and turtleduck heaven and other stuff. I just rolled my eyes; he needs to learn how to live in the real world already._

The next day, Azula ran out to the turtleduck pond, where, once again, Ursa and Zuko were sitting. She had an ungodly smirk on her face as she caught Zuko's eye and practically yelled-

"Hey, Zuzu, d'you know where babies come from?"

_Let mom try to explain _that _one with keeping Zuzu's precious "innocence" intact._

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**Hope you liked it! The next one's "Crossroads", featuring a rather unexpected character, in my opinion. Review, please!**

**:Hyperactive Lioness:**


	8. Crossroads

**Here we go! This prompt was "Crossroads", featuring Guru Pathik and an OC! This won't be the last OC to show up, mind you. And I kind of took creative rights in Pathik's background and age and stuff... Just a warning.**

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**Crossroads**

Guru Pathik sat alone on the mountainside, completely drenched by the torrential rain that was pouring down by the bucketful. The rain didn't bother him and neither did the lonliness. He had endured much worse during his many years as a solitary hermit, imbibed in the ways of the chakra, ready and able to instruct any being worthy of his tutelage.

Of course, it hadn't always been that way. Once, he had been a normal, unenlightened human being, one with a family, friends, a home, Tadame... Pathik's eyes flew open, hours of meditation lost, as he thought her name for the first time in years.

He could see her face clearly in his mind as if it hadn't been eighty-seven years since they'd last spoken- her soft, green eyes, cupid's-bow lips, silky black hair, hands hard and calloused from hours of earthbending. _Tadame_. The guru frowned and tried to erase the thought of her from his mind, but it was seemingly stuck there. _Tadame._

Then the images and memories flooded into his brain as sure and swift as the rain pouring from the skies. Tadame as a little girl, holding his hand firmly in hers. Tadame showing him the first earthbending form she had ever learned, proudly holding the rock above his head. Tadame, bent over the plans for their wedding, her beautiful figure heavy with pregnancy.

And then came the fork in the road.

He had dreamed of the chakras; realized that he was the one who could help others understand, to unlock them as he had, one by one. Until the seventh.

_Destroy all ties to this world..._

There was two paths that Pathik could have made that day. One veered downward, into a sloping valley, filled with guests and flowers and Tadame, resplendent in white and carrying their child. The other climbed a steep mountain slope into a range of hills where one could live out one's life undisturbed, as a hermit and a guru.

Pathik knew his destiny, he chose his own way, and his seventh chakra was opened, enabling him to teach and instruct others.

He forever regrets.

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**:Hyperactive Lioness:**


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